St. John the Baptist Parish, Calamba, Laguna

St. John the Baptist Parish

This church is also known as The Church of Calamba. It was established in 1859 and it is considered as one of the major churches in the city. It was burned by the Japanese during World War II and was reconstructed with the efforts of Fr. Eliseo Dimaculangan. The church is located at JP Rizal St. corner Mercado St., right beside the Rizal Shrine. 

Inside of the Parish

You can go there after visiting the shrine. And maybe if you have time, you might as well attend mass which are held regularly everyday. It's so solemn inside the church. After the tour of the house of Rizal, I just sat there and absorbed the tranquility of the place. I felt so rested and relaxed as if I've been recharged, my mind all cleared up. 

Baptismal Font

Dr. Jose Rizal was christened here on June 22, 1861, three days after he was born, by the parish priest Rev. Fr. Rufino Collantes and his godfather was Rev. Fr. Pedro Casanas. The sacrament of Baptism is an important rite in the Catholic Church as it is believed to remove the person of all sins and unites him with Christ. According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, the sacrament of baptism "seals the Christian with the indelible spiritual mark (character) of his belonging to Christ".

This part of the Church of Calamba has been declared by the virtue of Resolution No. 2 of the Philippine Historical Commission dated August 19, 1976 under Section 4 of the Executive Order No. 260 dated August 1, 1973 and amended by Executive Order No. 375 dated January 14, 1974, as a national historical landmark. The baptismal font has been restored to good condition. 

The transcript of Rizal's existing baptismal record is displayed on the wall at the left side of the entrance of the church. This is also in display at the Rizal Shrine. That is where I got this picture. :)